The Encounter
by superwholockplease
Summary: Castiel needs the Doctor's help as the apocalypse draws near. No slash. Possible spoilers for Supernatural. Please leave comments!
1. Chapter 1

The Encounter

_AN: I do not own any of these characters. This is my first fanfic, please leave comments so I can make myself a better writer._

Chapter 1

It had already been a strange day for the Doctor, and that was saying something. He had this feeling for a couple of days now – a feeling that something or someone important was looking for him – and today it was so strong that he acted upon it.

The TARDIS was so quiet without the Ponds. He didn't know what was going to happen today, but he didn't want them caught in the middle of it. He was trying to keep them safer, keep them more distanced ever since he discovered Amy was "pregnant" – or whatever she was. He decided it was better if he dropped them off for a day; maybe Amy would finally tell Rory about her suspicions, or at least they could have a romantic day off from the horrors of space-time travel.

He had to lie to them to get them to leave.

So quiet. The calm before the storm, as the humans would say. Even the TARDIS's beautiful cry, "VWORP, VWORP" seemed muted against the rising tensions of whatever was to come. The Doctor had to admit to himself, this feeling brought him out of his comfort zone. Usually, he went to the monster: today, he felt, it was going to come to him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was not a monster. It was a man. A man draped in the filthiest trench coat he had ever seen, with a TARDIS-blue tie and a –

"I am no man," it spoke hoarsely.

So, not only could it transport itself inside his ship, it could read his mind?

"H-how did you get in here?"

"My name is Castiel and I am an Angel of the Lord."

The Doctor stumbled backwards with surprise. It couldn't be. He had heard of angels, but as children's stories back on Gallifrey. This didn't make sense. And if the stories were true, these creatures are more powerful than anything he had ever encountered. He silently thanked the universe that he had sent the Ponds away.

He realized the angel was waiting for a response. "Um… so… Castiel. Yes, yes, uh… w-what brings you here?" The Doctor thought about how pathetic that sounded and gathered his senses, straightened his bow tie, stood up tall, and repeated, "What brings you here?" The angel seemed amused at this.

"I need your help." Castiel took a few steps closer to the Doctor. "I heard you could help."

As much as an honor this was, the Doctor was skeptic. There was some weird things going on with the universe right now, and there were some bad creatures behind it all. He couldn't afford to just reach out and trust this… angel. If it was an angel. There was one way to find out. "If you are who you say you are, then I'd like to see your true form."

The angel, who had so far been very calm and in control, widened his eyes at this suggestion. "And if you are who I need you to be, then my true form won't destroy you. Very clever, Timelord." Castiel came even closer to the Doctor, until they were practically nose-to-nose. "This might hurt," he warned.

Right before the Doctor, Castiel changed. One second, a man with dirty clothes and the saddest eyes stood before him, and the next, an angel. There was no describing the figure. It was pure beauty and faith. The TARDIS gave a small shiver and the Doctor's eyes filled with tears. It filled all of space and time. It filled the Doctor with knowledge of a time before time, and it filled him with a regretful ignorance – he was almost a thousand years old and there was so much he still didn't know. He wanted to know so bad that it was painful, physically painful. But he barely noticed, he was consumed with the beauty of this angel; when suddenly, he remembered.

The Doctor remembered a time when he was a child of Gallifrey. He was going to come of age, and he was going to look into the Vortex. He was scared. As he stepped forward, he saw. He saw everything, everywhere, every-when. He saw so many things that he didn't even know how much he saw. But now, he remembered seeing an angel, _this_ angel, in the Vortex. He understood why he had that strange feeling all day: he had small but strong bond with Castiel. That was why Castiel was here.

"Thank you," the Doctor whispered through his tears.

Just as the angel was about to curl into a smile, the man was standing before him again. "Will you help me?" Castiel asked.

The Doctor thought of those stories the elders used to tell him. "Of course," he gasped, trying to regain his composure. "Of course."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As Castiel whipped around and started to walk around the TARDIS console, the Doctor dared to get a good look at him for the first time. The angel looked common enough; a mob of dark brown hair rebelling against its owner's will, a round face with a five o' clock shadow, average height, and good posture. But there was something distinctly non-human about Castiel, and it wasn't just that his clothes – a tattered trench coat, a white, collared shirt, black pants, and blue tie – were covered in dirt and… blood? The Doctor had seen enough humans to know exactly what they looked like, and although Castiel had fooled him at first, he quickly understood the difference. It was the eyes.

This same phenomenon had shown itself in many places. Many species throughout the galaxies were quite humanoid, but usually the difference was in the eyes. The number of pupils, the color range and width of the iris, the number of eyes themselves. But most importantly, eyes spoke for their species. Human eyes were warm; even when the humans thought they were unhappy, their eyes always showed signs of hope and light. Timelord eyes were wise, they looked upon others as if they had seen them before, almost with a bored calm.

Castiel's eyes were sad. The Doctor wondered if this was particular to angels or just this one. Castiel's eyes had seen Creation and they had witnessed its corruption and demise. The Doctor supposed that there was almost nothing worse in the history of time.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After Castiel had taken a good look around the TARDIS, he gazed back up at the Doctor and started to tell him why he was here.

"A long time ago, I was assigned to watch over the two most important humans – uh, vessels – in Earth's history. It was a simple job; watch over them, don't let the vessels get weakened or die. But, I got too involved. One of them did die, and I had to bring him back to Earth from the fires of Hell. They wanted to know how that was possible, so I revealed myself to the humans. That was my mistake. The second we met, I knew I wasn't couldn't do my job properly. I wasn't only setting them up for slaughter; I was supposed to convince them to agree with it.

"Now they are refusing their bodies as vessels. My superiors are at my throat, telling me that I _have_ to change their minds. But…"

Castiel paused. The Doctor could tell that this was uncomfortable for the angel. "Do angels have a choice?" the Doctor softly inquired.

"No, not usually. But there is a rumor, something that means I could rebel and not be obliterated. They say…. they say God is missing."

The Doctor gasped. God was Ruler of the Angels. If he were missing, then angels could act according to their will. Not that all angels were bad, but these were undeniably powerful creatures, who had a considerable amount of control over the human race. The Doctor understood why this was a major problem. "What can I do?"

"Two things. First, I need your help searching for Him."

"Alright! My TARDIS and I will help in any way. I'll just set the scanner on Powerful Deity, and give the interspace nodular radar a quick twist, increase the wavelength and frequency of the galactic energy beam by 200%, an-"

"The second favor is much more personal," Castiel interrupted.

The Doctor froze in his tracks. He knew enough about angels to realize that this was a big deal. Angels don't just open up to people, they are mostly solitary and isolated. He could see the change in Castiel: the angel was now looking at the floor in something that was close to embarrassment. "Uh," the Doctor stumbled, "what do you need?"

"The vessels – the humans – how can I save them? If I rebel and tell them to refuse the right to their bodies, they will be tortured and killed and reanimated until they agree to the other angels' wills. If I convince them to give permission for the use of their bodies, they will be destroyed. I need to save them, Doctor. I know that it is against God's Word, but I cannot see them die."

Castiel had turned away as he had begun speaking, but now he turned to face the Doctor and it was clear that there were tears in his sad eyes. The Doctor now knew what he had suspected from the beginning; this angel was not normal. This angel was willing to go against his Lord, was willing to sacrifice himself for a couple of humans. This angel had found the kind of love that the Doctor found he was passionately confined in every time he found a new companion.

That kind of love doesn't just stop or go away. They were going to have to act upon it.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Doctor once heard that demons run when a good man goes to war. How ironic, he thought to himself, that this time, the demons are the angels.

The Doctor and Castiel had decided that in order to save the vessels – and the rest of the human race – from corrupt, unsupervised angels, they needed to wage a war. Castiel showed him how to use a special knife that killed angels, and the Doctor showed Castiel how to use the sonic screwdriver to scramble the angels' communications.

The Doctor didn't tell Castiel of his disapproval of weapons because he could sense Castiel didn't like to use them either.

The first step was Castiel confronting his superiors. The Doctor insisted that Castiel do this unarmed, and the angel conceded. The Doctor made sure he had Castiel's exact coordinates, and then they parted ways.

The Doctor watched his scanner intently. He was going to need perfect timing to pull this off. Castiel had told him that the other angels might get angry and smite the Doctor without a second thought. He would eventually regenerate, but still, it was good to not be obliterated. He was also told that the other angels would likely torture Castiel into submission. He hated this thought. Castiel was very strict in his orders that the Doctor wasn't to appear until the last second.

In the static little scanner, the Doctor could see three figures – all angels, according to Castiel, standing around in an abandoned shack. Suddenly, Castiel was standing in the middle of them. Unfortunately, the TARDIS was still a bit shaken from Castiel's true form, and the Doctor wasn't able to hear what the angels were saying. But he could vaguely read lips, and he taken aback when he distinctly saw Castiel turn towards the angel on his left and greet him with the word "brother".

The Doctor couldn't hold back his smile. What was Castiel worried about? He had family with him in that room; the others couldn't threaten _two_ angels, it would be too evenly matched. The Doctor was so happy that Castiel had found an ally that he had taken his eyes of the screen and when he looked back, he was appalled.

Within the few seconds that the Doctor had looked away, everything had changed. The two strange angels were now sprawled on the ground, unconscious. The shack had taken a beating; wood was in splinters, and there was a small fire in the corner. But the worst change in the room was Castiel and the angel he had addressed as "brother". The brother had Castiel brutally pushed up against a beam, one arm at Castiel's neck, suffocating him, and the other arm pulling a knife out of his back pocket. A knife that looked exactly the same as the one Castiel had given the Doctor, and, the Doctor assumed, was used for the same purpose.

The Doctor jolted into action; twirling and spinning around the TARDIS's console with the fervor of a madman. When the TARDIS gave her last moan signaling their arrival, the Doctor jumped through the doors into the burning shack. The "brother" angel whipped his head towards the phone box, completely shocked by the turn of events, but Castiel merely sighed as, for once, someone was coming to his rescue. The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at them and, with its high-pitched squeal, sent them both to their knees. He lunged forward and grabbed Castiel by the collar, tugging and dragging him into the TARDIS as it started taking off even before he had closed the door behind them.

_AN: There are more chapters, but I'm still working on them. I will try to get the next one up tomorrow, and the whole story up within a couple days._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The Doctor was sitting on the railing encircling the TARDIS console, his face buried in his hands, when Castiel awoke. The Doctor could hear the quiet rustling of Castiel's trench coat, so he looked up. Castiel seemed pale. The Doctor felt sick.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor finally broke the silence. "I didn't really know what the screwdriver would do, I guess it found the angel brain wave or something. I've never heard it make that noise, I'm sorry, I'm so sor-…"

The Doctor's voice cracked and he left his apology hanging in the air. Castiel was suddenly by his side, and he laid a heavy hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "It's only a headache now. You didn't really hurt me. In fact, you saved me."

The Doctor glanced up at Castiel's face and found a small comfort in having this angel as a friend. He pulled himself together. "I saw you talk to that angel. I saw you call him 'brother'. But… but he attacked you. What happened?"

Castiel cocked his head to the side in confusion and stared at the Doctor for a few moments. "You don't know?" Castiel asked.

"Know what?"

Castiel sighed deeply and joined the Doctor on the railing.

"They are all my brothers. And sisters. All angels are related, we are all Children of God."

"No. No, no, no. I can't help you. No, I _won't_ help you. Not like this. No." The Doctor slipped off the railing and crossed to the other side of the TARDIS, trying to get as far away from Castiel as possible.

Surely, Castiel knew the Doctor's history. There was no way he didn't know about Gallifrey. How could he ask him to do this? Was this some sick joke, some reminder of the evil he had done? He thought back to the Dream Lord and guessed this could be a repeat of the incident. For a second, the Doctor was a scared little boy again, about to experience the Vortex; but then he was angry.

"Who are you?" the Doctor yelled. "WHO ARE YOU?"

"I am Castiel."

At first it was a whisper, but then Castiel's voice became louder as emotions poured out of him. "I AM CASTIEL, AND I AM HERE TO SAVE THE HUMANS. I HAVE FOUND COMFORT IN THEIR EXISTENCE AND I REFUSE TO LOSE THEM." Castiel stopped yelling and took a deep breath, calming himself. "I have found emotion and I want it to continue. I do not want to be a minion anymore. I want to save my friends."

The Doctor stared at Castiel, then answered quietly, "No."

The Doctor was about to turn around and start-up the TARDIS engine to escape to somewhere far, far away, when the lights went out.

He looked back up at Castiel as the light came back on and gasped.

Castiel closed his eyes and spread his wings to full length. They were the same color as his hair and looked just as messy. Castiel opened his eyes and out of them came brilliant and burning light. Castiel turned his head towards the Doctor, and the Doctor couldn't resist gazing into the beams of light.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Creation was beautiful. First, nothing; then, everything. Everything, from the extremely massive nebulas to the miniscule electrons. But as the Doctor saw the entirety of Castiel's memory, he wasn't drawn toward Creation, but towards its corruption. He saw the intricate Plan that was Time, but his mind was not big enough to comprehend it, so he kept going. The prominent memory of Castiel was more recent: he saw Castiel telling a human that he was the one who gripped him tight and raised him from perdition. The Doctor felt just like Castiel did at that moment; he felt love, as if for the first time. He felt a monstrous guilt as if he had broken some rule, but mostly he felt the love filling a hole inside of him.

Castiel broke the eye contact. He folded his wings and let out a sigh. "Please help me," he breathed, barely audible.

"Okay" said the Doctor, because he felt that love for Amy and Rory and he understood was Castiel was going through, even if Castiel himself did not.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The war was hard for the Doctor because Castiel said that they had to kill any angel that didn't side with them. Castiel explained that the enemy angels mindlessly murdered humans without any second thought, as long as it was in their orders. The problem was, with God missing, so who was doing the ordering? They needed to work their way up the chain of command and stop whatever was doing this.

It deeply pained the Doctor to see these siblings slaughter each other and it was excruciating to know that he was facilitating it. But he could see no other way to save the human race.

The Doctor killed angels. He regretted every stab, and he cried at every death. Life was such a gift, and the angels were all little miracles; taking away this gift tore the Doctor apart. Every now and then, he caught a glimpse of Castiel, and it was obvious that it tore him apart too.

They finally reached the top commander, the angel who thought he was good enough to replace God. Castiel looked sadder than he'd ever been when he found out who it was. "Please," Castiel begged, "don't do this. Don't make me do this."

"No one is making you do this, Castiel, that is why it is so strange. Angels _need_ orders, and we all know the Plan anyways. I just jumped to the ending, that's all. All of the apocalypse would have happened eventually." The God Angel looked over at the Doctor. "Now, who's this?"

"My name is the Doctor, and I am a Timelord. I act as guardian of the human race, and you have no authority to end them." The Doctor spoke this with as much confidence as he could muster.

After a long silence, the God Angel just laughed. He snapped his fingers and the Doctor vanished.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

He was… alive? The Doctor confusedly looked around and realized that he was in the TARDIS. But he didn't feel quite right. He ran to a mirror and saw what he suspected was true – he had regenerated.

I don't have time to check out my new self, he remembered. The name "Castiel" slipped from his lips as he madly sprinted around the TARDIS console, trying to pinpoint Castiel's location. He finally got it, and as he grabbed the scanner, he sighed in relief as he saw that Castiel was still alive.

He was in danger, but he was alive. He saw Castiel by seven of his brothers and sisters, and the God Angel was calmly watching from a corner.

The Doctor set the coordinates and set about to finding that special knife Castiel had given him. He found it, and he went to stand in front of the double doors, waiting for the TARDIS to land.

The second the TARDIS materialized, the Doctor was through the door and at the closest angel's throat. He stabbed the blade into her back and pushed her to the floor in one quick movement. In the same moment, he twirled around and caught the angel that was attacking him from behind with a swift kick to the gut, and then finished the attacker with a stab in the chest. Castiel had come to his senses and was doing his own murder. In a few minutes, seven angels lay on the floor and the ground was covered in the charred remains of angel wings.

The Doctor was breathing heavily – his regeneration had given him a boost of power, but now he really needed to rest. Just then, he heard a small chuckle from the corner. The God Angel had watched the whole thing without making a move, and the Doctor, an apparently Castiel, had forgotten he was there.

"I must admit, I was doubtful about the rumors that you were killing angels, Castiel, but obviously, I was wrong," the God Angel mused. "You've changed, brother."

The two angels glared at each other in silence until the God Angel turned to the Doctor. "And so have you, Doctor, I almost didn't recognize you. That was a fast recovery, don't you think. You're not feeling tired, are you? Please, sit down."

A chair appeared out of nowhere, the most inviting and comfortable looking chair that the Doctor had ever seen. It was true; he felt exhausted. He needed a seat. So he sat down.

He realized the mistake the second he came in contact with the chair. Chains bound him impossibly tight. There was something pressing against the back of his head. A gun? By the look of horror on Castiel's face, he guessed as much. The God Angel must be hovering it behind his head. He couldn't die again; the regeneration wasn't complete yet.

The Doctor managed to slip his hand into his pocket just far enough to feel his sonic screwdriver. If only he could turn it on…

"The thing they don't tell you about friends, Castiel, is that, sometimes, they die."

"CAS, SONIC!" The Doctor yelled as his finger found the button and he pressed it, hoping his hand wouldn't slip. The same high-pitched squeal pierced the air and the God Angel dropped to his knees, and then collapsed on the floor.

The Doctor slowly looked over at Castiel and was relieved to see that he had understood his warning and covered his ears. Castiel still was very pale and little wobbly, but at least he wasn't unconscious on the ground.

The chains disappeared, the gun dropped to the floor, and the Doctor slowly stood. Castiel kneeled over his brother's motionless body, his knife drawn, but unmoving.

"I… I can't." Castiel stammered.

The Doctor knew. He knew better than anyone in the history of history. He felt that this war was the second worst event in his life, the second worst thing he had ever done. Killing angels? It was torture.

Killing a brother? No words could explain the pain. So he saved his friend the pain of killing one last brother and he finished the war himself.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The TARDIS parked outside the hotel where he had dropped the Ponds off about six months ago. For them, it had been around twenty hours. The Doctor and Castiel faced each other from opposite sides of the console in an awkward silence. The Doctor was aware of Castiel's stare; he must be getting used to my new face, he thought. "What do I look like?" the Doctor wondered aloud.

"You look… like you've seen too much." It wasn't really the answer the Doctor was asking for, but it was true. He didn't know if he wanted to continue. Maybe he should just say goodbye to Amy and Rory and leave them in peace. He could make a home out of the TARDIS anywhere he wanted. He could retire quietly, no more wars, no more killing, and no more sadness. Just quiet.

"You know you can't do that," Castiel said as he walked closer to the Doctor and embraced him in a comforting hug. "The universe needs you, Doctor. The Ponds need you. I know the pain of wanting to end, but you simply don't have that option. Just remember that you don't have to bear that responsibility alone. You have me."

The Doctor knew Castiel was right. He broke away from the hug to look Castiel in the eyes one last time.

"If you ever need me, just pray," and suddenly, Castiel was gone.


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue

It took a long time to explain himself to the Ponds, but it was better than lying to them. Amy hugged the Doctor and asked if he was okay. Rory wanted to know more about angels. He didn't answer either of them. Instead, he asked them if they wanted to still be with him. Amy laughed and told him that was a stupid question, and Rory just smiled. The Doctor smiled, too; he always had the best friends.

A year later, the Doctor found himself in the middle of another war. Something to do with his girlfriend, and Amy's pregnancy, and the Silence… it was too confusing to think about. Rory looked at him anxiously – Amy had been kidnapped and he was awaiting orders. The Doctor turned to him and calmly said, "Rory, I'm dropping you off at River's prison. Please break her out and tell her what's happening."

"What are you going to do, Doctor?"

The Doctor smiled. "We are going to need some friends. I'm going recruiting."

Rory looked confused. "How?"

"I'm going to pray."

_AN: I hoped you liked it! Please review!_


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